Share Article

On the new visitmarshallislands.com website, special attention by both companies to maximizing local operators' online visibility and making their products and services instantly bookable

A screenshot of the new visitmarshallislands.com website

This is an important milestone for the promotion of tourism in the Marshall Islands, in particular its services and products since they are now more visible online than in the past and are able to be booked instantly.

Past News Releases

Online hotel- and activity-booking portal whl.travel has just unveiled its first destination-marketing website in the Pacific. Developed at the request of the Marshall Islands Visitors Authority (MIVA) and built in partnership with Hotel Link Solutions, a technology company providing digital-marketing solutions to the accommodation industry, the new website improves the level of exposure provided to MIVA's local tour operators and hotels.

The new website, visitmarshallislands.com, now specifically allows holidaymakers and visitors to organize and book their travel arrangements with ease.

"A solid online presence partnered with reliable instant-booking capability has become a critical part of being successful in the global tourism market," said Jennifer Aston, CEO of whl.travel. "It’s wonderful to see an emerging market such as the Marshall Islands embrace the online sales capabilities that these e-marketing initiatives are able to create."

This sentiment was echoed by Ilisoni Vuidreketi, CEO of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), who felt that "This is an important milestone for the promotion of tourism in the Marshall Islands, in particular its services and products since they are now more visible online than in the past and are able to be booked instantly." Vuidreketi went on to confirm that MIVA has made a wise and cost-effective decision in revamping its website, particularly as the marketing budgets of smaller SPTO countries like the Marshall Islands are too limited to allow for physical attendance at expensive long-haul travel shows.

The new visitmarshallislands.com website utilizes technology developed by Hotel Link Solutions that allows travelers looking for accommodation to see real-time availability and pricing. All bookings and quotes created or requested through the site are processed directly by the relevant service providers. This maximizes the tourism benefits to local operators and removes the need for margin-slimming intermediaries.

While the new national tourism website complements a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) e-marketing support project already underway in the Marshall Islands, it also assists accommodation operators with their online visibility and search engine optimization.

The idea of revamping the old national tourism website emerged during a SME e-marketing support workshop held in March this year. Made possible by the European Union-funded Pacific Regional Tourism Capacity Building Programme (PRTCBP), the workshop highlighted the role of digital marketing and the importance of having a quality e-commerce website focused on enhancing online visibility and improving sales.

About whl.travel
Started in 2002 as a pilot project of the IFC (World Bank Group), whl.travel was spun off as a private company in 2006. Since then it has grown into a franchise network of award-winning travel companies that help to connect travelers to the unique experiences that only local tourism experts can offer. whl.travel empowers its local travel partners to support experiential and mindful travel through the development of destination-specific online booking portals. Each portal is locally owned and managed, and promotes a wide selection of tours, accommodations and packages.

About Hotel Link Solutions
Hotel Link Solutions is a first-generation digital-marketing services provider for the accommodation industry. As a WHL Group and ResOnline joint venture, Hotel Link Solutions has tapped deep resources and wide industry reach to develop a world-class and competitive range of products. Hotel Link Solutions is committed to building a sustainable future for travel and to ensuring that all relationships with clients, staff, business partners and host communities are win-win.